The strange effects of a gap

It's a little strange, but my first ride, after an extended period of not touching the bike, are always exceptionally good ones. I'm told that beginners should ride regularly to keep their skills and head sharp.

Personally, when i'm rusty at stuff i tend to get stressed out coming back into it- too much going on to grapple with successfully. With the bike though, i've been finding that my first ride after a week of leaving it alone always sees me exceptionally relaxed. I don't stress out over the stuff i usually do. I look ahead without consciously reminding myself to do so, i keep my road position without having to work too hard at it, i'm extra-extra-extra aware of stuff going on around me while muscles remain untensed and head remains clear.

My daily commute is a 15 minute affair either way, most of it in heavy traffic. This tends to wear on me after a while, the constant gear switching and car avoidance - and of course, the constant idea of being rear-ended because i still don't lane split (i do it to myself, i know)... i lose that lovin' feeling after a while. The unique pleasure of being on a motorcycle and having it respond to the swing of my body, tends to get lost in the concerns of commuting itself.

More regular group riding aside, i definitely need to adjust my working hours to miss the worst of the traffic!

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In more news, there's some ruckus going on about 2 riders who were doing silly things in front of a traffic camera. And then one of them got caught.